elise
6th Dec 2006, 09:18 PM
So I've rideen bareback a few times. Walking around in the snow during the winter, one small stint of trot on a super smooth low backed QH. But last night my trainer said, "bareback lesson!"
She failed to add "with no reins" to the equation. She had me in the round pen, on Axel bareback, with my hands on my hips. He was allowed to wander wherever he wanted in hopes his sudden direction changes would teach me to sit better.
And then she told me to ask for a trot. And keep him trotting. But don't steer.
Okay so Axel's trot when not being supported isn't very bumpy, he shuffles along on his forehand so it isn't terrible to sit. I only almost "lost it" twice. One of those instances being when he decided he didn't want to trot on the hard ground/just got trimmed/stiff stifle/bad direction/generally cranky/huge buck! The other being when he sped up on our first round in his bad direction.
But wow, I sure surprised myself. It went really well! And my inner thighs are not sore today so I must not have been clenching at all. Though my sitz bones are bit tender :>
I think had this been any other horse than my own Axel I don't think I would have let the trainer talk me into riding without reins. Axel goes nowhere fast (thank goodness)!
She failed to add "with no reins" to the equation. She had me in the round pen, on Axel bareback, with my hands on my hips. He was allowed to wander wherever he wanted in hopes his sudden direction changes would teach me to sit better.
And then she told me to ask for a trot. And keep him trotting. But don't steer.
Okay so Axel's trot when not being supported isn't very bumpy, he shuffles along on his forehand so it isn't terrible to sit. I only almost "lost it" twice. One of those instances being when he decided he didn't want to trot on the hard ground/just got trimmed/stiff stifle/bad direction/generally cranky/huge buck! The other being when he sped up on our first round in his bad direction.
But wow, I sure surprised myself. It went really well! And my inner thighs are not sore today so I must not have been clenching at all. Though my sitz bones are bit tender :>
I think had this been any other horse than my own Axel I don't think I would have let the trainer talk me into riding without reins. Axel goes nowhere fast (thank goodness)!